Chapter 1: What Has Been...


Odale dropped her pencil on the desk. It was enough, she was done with her homework. Everything had been boring that day. The weather was gray, the food tasted like ash in her mouth, and the morning had been torture.

She rose to her feet. It was late afternoon, all her lessons were done and now she'd even done her homework. There was nothing else to do, since she didn't want to be in the Pyramid Library the entire evening.

Quickly, she unwrapped the cloth that had been wrapped around her hand. It had been several weeks since she cut it open, but it hadn't healed properly and she knew why. It was a Darke wound.

As a substitute for the cloth, she put on a pair of gloves. They were made of soft, black leather and since it was still cold outside no one batted an eye at them… but Odale knew that it wouldn't be long until the snow and ice would thaw and her gloves would look misplaced. Only a month or two.

Odale went through the hall, into the living room and towards the door. She knew that Marcia prefered it when she told her than she went away, but both of them knew that Marcia couldn't stop Odale. Odale put a hand on the door and...

The sound of Marcia's shoes were heard, and Odale cursed. She spun around, held her hands behind her back. "Hello, Marcia," she said.

"And where are you going?" Marcia asked her.

"Just out for a little air," Odale answered.

"Air?" Marcia sat down in an armchair, the one closest to Odale. "Last time you went out for 'air' you came home far too late."

"I know," Odale said, as innocently as she could manage. "But Z-"

"Odale, you're almost an adult," Marcia replied sternly. "You're responsible for yourself-"

"I know, I know," Odale sighed impatiently. "I've heard the whole speech, thank you. Can I go now?"

"No," Marcia said.

"What?" Odale was in shock. "But… why?"

"Because I said so," Marcia replied. "Odale, there is so much you can do inside. I don't want you out there right now."

"But I can manage myself!" Odale exclaimed. "As you said… I'm almost an adult! I can-"

"This isn't a discussion, Odale," Marcia said. "Your mother, by the way, has asked me not to let you out by yourself."

Her mother had followed her to the door last week, Odale remembered, but she hadn't thought that it had anything to do with her safety. She snorted, opened the door. "I've done far more dangerous things than going outside, Marcia," she said. She closed the door behind her.

She understood that Marcia only cared about her safety, and so on, still she didn't want to hear any of it. It made her feel a little guilty, but she quickly pushed the thoughts of Marcia away. Instead, she spiralled down the stairs down to the Great Hall. Odale didn't bother to look at the message it had for her, she'd seen it far too many times for it to be interesting anymore.

It was darke outside. The Wizard Tower's courtyard and the Great Arch were all incredibly quiet, but once she was outside the entire street was buzzing with Darke Domaine had been hard on the Castle, but the Castle did as it always did. It was slowly rebuilding itself.

Odale, ignoring what she called the 'normal people' quickly retreated into an alleyway. The alleyway didn't look like much, but Odale knew where to go. She went up to a worn door, knocked rapidly three or four times and the door opened. Odale slipped inside.

It was a place where the more suspicious-looking people hid away, and Odale had found it just some weeks ago. She didn't understand how a place with so much... not-so-clean business could just go on, right under Marcia's and the Wizard Tower's noses. Odale knew that she should have reported it to Marcia, who'd have the place 'cleaned', but she didn't feel up to it. Instead, she slipped in there every now and then.

There was something that Odale found very comforting with listening to the people talk. Of course, if someone would say something that could be potentially dangerous she would report it at once. It would ruin all the fun of course, there was something interesting with being able to sit in a room where no one paid attention to her... no one tried to talk to her... even though her robes had turned a few heads at first.

Odale sat down at a table, pulled her feet up underneath her. A boy her own age came to her with a glass of water, he always did, and then he leaned in and told her that she should buy something. Or his boss would get angry. He always did said so, and the boss never became angry.

She looked around. There were new people there. Usually, all the people who were there were always there. There were rarely any new faces, and if there were one would know that it would be the same type of people. But that night, there was some new people and Odale didn't like them at once. They all wore red cloaks, lined with fur (as if it was some sort of uniform), and almost all of them spoke a foreign language. Or, a several languages and Odale didn't know which.

Odale turned her head to find the boy again. She had to ask him who they were. Odale looked for him in the half-crowded room, but he was easy to find. He was wearing a sunflower yellow shirt, while everyone else in there seemed to prefer colors which were darker. Odale waved at him, and he came up to her. She hadn't realized until then that she recognized him, but she didn't know from where. "Hi," she said. "About food... do you have something that's with chocolate?"

"Well, we have cake-"

"Great," Odale replied. "Would you bring me some?"

"That would be-"

"Here," Odale put some coins from her belt in his hand. He looked surprised, but it seemed to be enough. Odale watched him walk away, and then come back with a plate in his hand.

"Thank you," Odale said when he placed the plate infront of her. "And..."

Odale grabbed him by his arm. "Who are those red-cloaks over there?"

The boy shrugged. "Some foreigners," he said. "They're just passing through the Castle. They were going somewhere else."

Odale took a bite out of the chocolate cake. "Thank you," she said. "What's your name?"

"Clark," the boy replied quickly. He walked away.


She didn't want to stay in the meet-up any longer, so when she had finished the chocolate cake she left. The people, mainly men, in their red cloaks made her uncomfortable. They made her thing of the Young Army... only that they were adults. Even though she had thought that she'd seen some kids in her own age among them, also in red cloaks.

Odale walked back to the Wizard Tower. There was no point in being outside more than she had to. She walked the same way she had when she went there, and then she was home. Both Septimus and Marcia was in the living room when she came back. "Hello again," Marcia said coldly when Odale had just come inside the door. "Did you have a nice walk?"

Odale could tell that Marcia knew that Odale hadn't went out just for the walk... and it didn't bother her. "It was nice, thank you," Odale said just as coldly as Marcia had.

She sat down in the sofa, beside Septimus. "There's tea if you want it," Marcia said. "You only need to get a cup in the-"

"Not right now," Odale replied. "Thanks."

It was deadly quiet and Odale almost wished that she'd stayed outside. Odale kicked of her boots and pulled her legs up on the sofa. "What are you reading, Sep?" Odale asked.

"Nothing special," Septimus answered. "I'm just reading ahead."

"Oh," Odale said. She looked into the fire.


Rodrian did much for her these days. Polished her shoes, among many things.

She only had two pairs. One pair of boots, made of skin and fur, and another pair. Those were her 'nice' shoes, even though they didn't keep the cold out especially well, but her feet were swollen and too big for her boots. The nicer shoes, however, did fit and now she had to force her feet into them.

Runa rose to her feet. She wanted out, the house wasn't the same to her anymore. It had never been her home, but the more she stayed there the smaller and more cramped it seemed to become...

Not that she had had a home in a very long time. Her home had been torn from underneath her feet, she had fallen and never got back up again.

It wasn't Rodrian's fault. He hadn't been there, she didn't even know he he'd been a rebel then. Besides, she'd never seen or heard of him doing anything like what had happened to her... but a rebel was a rebel, no matter how he acted. He still made her uncomfortable. She also didn't want her child to grow up to become a rebel. Runa wanted her child to have a real home.


Septimus had went to bed already, and when he had went away everything had grown quiet. Odale shifted her legs, Marcia was watching her. As if she wanted to say anything. "Odale," Marcia said suddenly. Odale jumped. "You have to be careful. It's very important, especially now. Do you hear me?"

"Why is it important right now?" Odale snapped. "The Two Faced Ring is safe... what else is there?"

"Just do me that one favor," Marcia replied. Odale could tell that Marcia knew more than what she said, but she didn't ask anything.

"Fine," she just said. "I will."

She rose up. "Where are you going?" Marcia asked quickly. Odale sighed.

"I'm going to bed, Marcia," she said. "Can I do that?"

"Of course," Marcia tried to smile, but to Odale it came out as awkward. "Good night."

Odale hurried out of the room. She didn't want to stay there anymore. When she was inside of the room, she closed it and listened for a while to make sure that no one was outside. Odale then went up beside her bed, laid down on the floor and reached in under it. She could feel the leathery surface of the book she wanted, and grabbed it.

Once again she listened so that no one was outside, then she opened it. Odale quickly flickered to the page she wanted to see; Skinchanging. It had taken her about two weeks in the Pyramid Library to find it... and at the cost of a failed test. But Odale didn't mind. She had to know.

Odale reached in under her bed again to find a tiny mirror. She sat down on her bed, with the mirror leant against the wall and the book in her lap. Skinchanging, she had found out, wasn't a Spell exactly, but instead a technique. It was also, she had found out, very hard to master. For a few weeks she had been practicing alone in her bedroom. Especially at night, when no one would bother her.

She looked herself in the mirror, then closed her eyes. Her biggest issue, she had found out, was that she didn't know what she wanted to be. The first time she had attempted to look like a snake, but nothing had happened. Another time a fly, another a bird... Odale still didn't know. She tried something knew every time, the book had said that sometime people just had to find the right animal... she just hadn't found her own yet.

Then, she had an idea. Odale opened her eyes. She thought of when she'd been turned into a wolf a few years ago... she knew what she'd looked like, she knew how it felt to be turned into one... Odale looked at her own picture in the mirror, brushed her hair aside so that she could see her ear.

Carefully, she visualized her ear. She then attempted to see it change into a big, pointy wolf's ear... Something stung and she put her hand up to her ear. She felt fur, soft as velvet underneath her palm, opened her eyes and laughed.

Somebody knocked on her door. Odale, quickly as lightning, covered her ear and pushed the book and mirror underneath a blanket. "Odale?" Marcia said. "It's late, you should be asleep."

Marcia opened the door and came in. Odale hid a smile. "I know," she said. "I'm sorry, I just-"

"What were you laughing at?" Marcia asked.

"I just thought of something funny," Odale smiled. "Goodnight, Marcia."

"You too," Marcia answered. She walked out again and Odale could take a breath of relief. Her ear would stay her secret.